New isotope-producing research reactor for Missouri

31 March 2023

The University of Missouri has launched an initiative to build a new, larger research reactor, NextGen MURR. The university's existing MU Research Reactor (MURR) - in operation for more than half a century - is the highest-powered university research reactor in the USA and is currently the country's only producer of certain medical radioisotopes.

MURR's core: MURR is a "tank-in-pool" reactor with its core situated in a 30 foot (9 metre) deep pool of water (Image: University of Missouri)

The university plans to issue a Request for Qualification/Request for Proposal (RFQ/RFP) in April, to solicit interest from qualified parties to provide preliminary designs and industry partnerships. The request also will support preparation of regulatory requirements for potential construction at Discovery Ridge in Columbia, Missouri.

MURR was originally constructed as a 5 MWt reactor, and began operations in 1966. Its power was increased to 10 MWt in 1974, and it now operates six-and-a-half days per week, all year round. The reactor is currently the only producer in the USA of the medical isotopes yttrium-90, used for the treatment of liver cancer; molybdenum-99, for analysis of heart functions; iodine-131, used for treatment of thyroid cancer; and lutetium-177, used for treatment of pancreatic and prostate cancers.

According to the university, more than 1.6 million patients a year are diagnosed or treated using radioisotopes that MURR produces. MURR NextGen will build on the internationally recognised excellence of MURR and expand the university's isotope production capabilities, it said.

"The work that we do at MURR saves and improves thousands of lives each and every day," said Mun Choi, University of Missouri president. "NextGen MURR will produce advanced cancer medicines for the next 75 years and solidify the University of Missouri's position as the most important resource for medical isotopes in the United States."

Molybdenum-99 - Mo-99 - is used in hospitals to generate technetium-99m, a critically important diagnostic imaging radioisotope used in 40,000 patient imaging studies per day in the USA. The USA has in the past been heavily reliant on imported Mo-99, but since 2009 a programme by the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration has been working to create a reliable commercial domestic supply of the isotope made without the use of high-enriched uranium (HEU).

NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, in partnership with MURR, has since 2018 produced non-HEU Mo-99 by irradiating and processing molybdenum-98 targets at MURR. The company is also planning to produce the isotope using electron accelerators to irradiate molybdenum-100 targets at a new facility in Beloit, Wisconsin. These dual production and processing pathways will help ensure a reliable supply of Mo-99, according to information from the company.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Viewpoint: The critical production of cobalt-60 in nuclear reactors

28 March 2023

The production of cobalt-60 is critical to healthcare and, with demand soaring, the challenge is to expand supply, writes Martin Comben from the International Irradiation Association.

There are a number of initiatives to increase cobalt-60 supply (Image: Nordion)

The radioisotope cobalt-60 that is manufactured in some nuclear reactors is used to sterilise approximately 40% of single-use medical devices globally. These devices include items such as syringes, catheters, IV sets, surgical gloves and gauze used in a wide range of health care applications. A patient in surgery or receiving wound care or simply having a blood sample taken, is highly likely to be treated using products that have been sterilised using cobalt-60 in a process known as ‘irradiation’ or ‘radiation processing’.

Other important uses of cobalt-60 include the non-invasive treatment of cancers and brain tumours, polymer processing, food treatment and environmental applications.

The demand for sterilisation and, therefore, cobalt-60 is growing at rates not previously seen, due to an increasing and ageing population, greater access to health care and the development of new devices that require sterilisation. At the typically reported growth rate of 6-8% per year, the demand for sterilisation will double over the next ten years. Some sectors, such as the biopharmaceutical industry that is switching to single-use systems, are experiencing growth at much higher double-digit growth rates, although they represent a small proportion of current sterilisation demand.

In recent years, vaccine supply pressure concentrated the need for sterilisation and, in some cases, created a backlog. At the 20th International Meeting on Radiation Processing, held in November 2022, the increasing gap between global sterilisation capacity and demand was highlighted as a significant concern of the healthcare industry.

Cobalt-60 is produced in a small number of reactors located in Argentina, Canada, China, India and Russia.  This cobalt-60 is manufactured into radiation sources by a few specialist manufacturers that serve the radiation processing (sterilisation) industry. Most cobalt-60 produced in China and India and some from Argentina is used to supply their local market only. Therefore most of the rest of the world’s cobalt-60 is supplied from Canada and Russia and almost all of this material is contracted to one Canadian source manufacturer.

Comben is general manager, Gamma Irradiation, at the International Irradiation Association (Image: Martin Comben)

At a time of increasing sterilisation demand, there have been a few disruptions to cobalt-60 production. This includes a period of reduced supply from one Russian reactor and the temporary shutdown for refurbishment of some existing cobalt-60 production reactors in Canada and Argentina. Reactor refurbishment is critical to extending the life of reactors and these initiatives will enable existing reactors to continue cobalt-60 production for a further 25-30 years.

Some cobalt-60 production reactors have permanently closed in recent years. However, various initiatives have resulted in the cobalt-60 volume being replaced or exceeded by production in new or refurbished reactors. Examples of this include the replacement of Russian cobalt-60 production at the the reactors of the Leningrad nuclear power plant, which are closing between 2018 and 2027, with production at new reactors at Kursk and Smolensk. Also, in Canada, the Pickering reactors operated by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) that have produced cobalt-60 since the 1970s, have been scheduled to shut down in 2024. However, these reactors are now being considered for life extension to 2025 and potential refurbishment. At the same time, the Darlington reactors, also operated by OPG, are being refurbished and converted for cobalt-60 production.

Currently, almost all of the world’s cobalt-60 is produced in CANDU pressurised heavy water reactors and RBMK light water graphite-moderated reactors, of which there is a limited number. The greatest opportunity to significantly increase the availability of cobalt-60 is therefore to develop production into new reactor types.

There are approximately 440 commercial reactors in operation of which more than 300 are pressurised water reactors (PWRs). This has made PWRs the reactor platform of focus for future cobalt-60 production. In February 2020, Nordion, the world's largest manufacturer of cobalt-60 radiation sources used for sterilisation, announced that it was partnering with Westinghouse to develop large-scale production of cobalt-60 in PWRs and at the IMRP20 meeting in November 2022, Westinghouse updated the radiation processing industry on the progress and timeline of this important initiative.

Production of cobalt-60 in PWRs would be highly scalable with the capacity to at least double existing worldwide production volumes from PWRs in the USA alone.

Other initiatives include the announcement in December 2021 that Framatome and Exelon Generation will cooperate to understand and develop solutions to produce cobalt-60 in PWRs operated by Exelon Generation.  In June 2020, Nuclearelectrica Romania announced that its 2020-2025 strategic investment plan includes the study of cobalt-60 production at its Cernavoda nuclear power plant with design and implementation targeted to be complete by 2027.

The healthcare industry has relied on cobalt-60 since the 1960s when demand for sterilisation started to grow.  The technology is now applied globally by an international network of irradiation facilities backed up by a robust regulatory infrastructure. Whilst alternatives to cobalt-60 technology are available for sterilisation, these alternatives do not have the capacity to meet existing demand or the infrastructure to enable rapid growth to meet future demand.

The production of cobalt-60 in nuclear reactors remains critical to healthcare and steps are under way to increase production. Cobalt-60 supply volumes have started to increase but not at the rate of increasing demand. The International Irradiation Association, which represents the radiation processing industry, supports all initiatives that will help to meet the demand for sterilisation of health care products and encourages reactor operators to engage with industry on cobalt-60 production.

In addition to the provision of clean energy, the production of isotopes in support of health care remains a highly positive contribution of the nuclear industry to societal wellbeing.

Canadian budget underlines government support for nuclear

30 March 2023

Inclusion of nuclear in the clean energy investment tax credit and making it eligible for a range of other tax incentives show the Government of Canada's "clear and strong" support for nuclear's indispensable role in the clean energy transition, according to the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA).

(Image: Parliament of Canada)

The 2023 Federal Budget was released in the House of Commons by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland on 28 March, who said that Canada will seize the "historic opportunity" of building a clean economy. "We are going to build a clean electrical grid that connects Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast, protects our environment, and delivers cleaner, more affordable electricity to Canadians and Canadian businesses," she said.

The budget introduces a new 15% refundable Investment Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit. Nuclear projects - both large-scale and small modular reactors (SMRs) - are eligible for the credit, which is available to both new projects and the refurbishment of existing facilities. The credit will be available to both public and privately owned entities, and will also be available for equipment enabling the transmission of electricity between provinces and territories. It is expected to cost CAD6.3 billion (USD4.7 billion) over four years starting in 2024-25, and an additional CAD19.4 billion from 2028-29 to 2034-35.

The Clean Electricity tax credit is separate to, but complemented, by the Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit announced in the government's 2022 Fall Economic Statement, which provides credits of up to 30% for non-emitting electricity generation technologies, including SMRs.

The budget also included the announcement of a 30% Investment Tax Credit for Clean Technology Manufacturing for investments in new machinery and equipment used to manufacture or process key clean technologies, and extract, process, or recycle key critical minerals. The manufacture of nuclear energy equipment and the processing or recycling of nuclear fuels and heavy water are eligible for this credit, which is expected to cost CAD4.5 billion over five years starting in 2023-24, and an additional CAD6.6 billion from 2028-29 to 2034-35.

Nuclear will also be supported by other measures in the budget, including the extension of tax reductions for zero-emission technology manufacturers to include the nuclear power sector; the allocation of further funds to the Canada Infrastructure Bank - which last year committed a CAD970 million federal loan towards Ontario Power Generation Darlington New Nuclear Project - for accelerating the energy transition; an additional CAD1.3 billion to increase efficiencies with regulatory reviews and approvals, including for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission; and the provision of CAD500 million over ten years to the Strategic Innovation Fund, which has previously supported SMR projects.

Making nuclear eligible for such tax incentives, in addition to being included in the clean energy investment tax credit, has further levelled the playing field for clean energy technologies, enabling nuclear to compete fairly with other non-emitting sources of power, the CNA said.

"Today’s budget represents a significant change in how the Federal government is approaching nuclear power in Canada," the organisation's CEO and President John Gorman said. "No longer are we simply 'on the table' as Prime Minister Trudeau put it one year ago; nuclear is now recognised as a fundamental and necessary component of Canada's low carbon energy system."

Around 15% of Canada's electricity comes from 19 Candu nuclear power reactors, mostly in Ontario. For many years the world's biggest producer of uranium - until it was overtaken by Kazakhstan - the country's 2021 output of 4693 tU ranks it as third in the list of the world's uranium suppliers. OPG plans to build Canada's first commercial, grid-scale SMR - GE Hitachi's BWRX-300 - at Darlington site, eyeing commercial operation starting in 2029.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

CNL, Kyoto Fusioneering join forces for fusion tech development

31 March 2023

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japanese company Kyoto Fusioneering Ltd (KF) to partner on the delivery of technical services to support the growing international fusion reactor market, with a key focus on testing related to tritium.

(Image: KF)

Under the MoU, the Canadian nuclear science and technology organisation will work with the Japanese fusion technologies start-up to identify and co-develop fusion products and services, helping to accelerate the progression of fusion as a source of clean energy. It covers cooperation in areas including the exchange of scientific information; the shared use of technical equipment and facilities; the delivery of joint research projects; and the exchange of technical personnel, and aims to provide fusion developers with better access to testing and demonstration equipment, making the most of CNL and KF's complementary capabilities.

KF was spun out of Kyoto University in 2019 as Japan's first fusion start-up, to develop advanced technologies for commercial fusion reactors building on decades of university research. One of the advanced technologies the company is developing for commercial fusion reactors is tritium fuel cycle technologies and breeding blankets for tritium production and power generation.

Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen that will provide the fuel for many fusion reactor designs. CNL has a long and extensive history in the development of technologies and systems to safely manage the isotope, and operates a dedicated, state-of-the-art Tritium Facility at its Chalk River Laboratories site in Ontario. Originally built to support the tritium technology needs for Candu reactors and to support the Canadian fusion program, the facility is capable of handling significant amounts of tritium for research and development activities.

"CNL is currently exploring plans to establish an internationally unique fusion fuel cycle and demonstration loop at the Chalk River Laboratories campus," CNL Vice-President of Science and Technology Jeff Griffin said. "This partnership with Kyoto Fusioneering could build on this work and contribute to the setup of a demonstration-scale test loop, which would combine elements of Kyoto Fusioneering's Unique Integrated Testing Facility (UNITY) concept with CNL's expertise in the fusion fuel cycle."

"Kyoto Fusioneering is providing solutions for fusion energy based on innovative and unique research from Kyoto University and high quality Japanese industrial technology," KF CEO Taka Nagao said. The cooperation with CNL "will provide a very strong and important contribution to the international development of fusion energy, which has the potential to solve key energy and environmental problems on this planet", he added.

Earlier this month, KF signed an agreement with the UK Atomic Energy Authority to develop fusion-related technologies, with plans to develop a fusion-grade silicon carbide composite system.

The agreement is the latest in a recent series of fusion-related projects announced by CNL, including working with private fusion developer General Fusion on joint projects to accelerate the deployment of commercial fusion power in Canada and an agreement with UK-based First Light Fusion to design a system for extracting tritium from a planned 60 MW pilot power plant reactor.

"Our best approach to confront climate change here in Canada and around the world is by working together, and sharing our technical knowledge and resources in the pursuit of next-generation clean energy solutions," said CNL President and CEO Joe McBrearty. "That is at the heart of this agreement with Kyoto Fusioneering, an incredibly talented and ambitious company which shares our optimism in fusion power. Working together, we hope to accelerate this promising new technology, by providing fusion vendors with access to the products and services they need to develop, qualify and deploy their technologies."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Suriname’s Stalled Oil Boom Adds To Economic Headwinds

By Matthew Smith - Mar 31, 2023

• Suriname is facing an economic and political crisis due to corruption, poor policies, and ballooning public debt.
• 
  
• The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the situation by causing a significant decline in the country's GDP and triggering sovereign debt default.
• 
  
• The resulting austerity measures, soaring inflation, and rising living costs have caused civil unrest and protests in the country.

The former Dutch colony of Suriname is struggling to recover from the economic devastation of the pandemic. Civil dissent is intensifying with riots sparked by rising food and fuel prices rocking the capital Paramaribo. The emerging economic and political crisis is rooted in the corruption, poor policy and ballooning public debt that occurred during the 10-year rule of Santokhi’s predecessor Dési Bouterse. The headwinds buffeting Suriname are compounded by the fallout from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the impoverished former Dutch colony especially hard. Disappointing news concerning Suriname’s nascent oil boom further complicates the situation, with the government in Paramaribo viewing the country’s considerable oil potential as a silver bullet for resolving its many economic woes.

It was the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic that was the catalyst that sparked Suriname’s current crisis. For a decade, trouble had been brewing as the civilian administration of former military strongman President Bouterse adopted deficient public policies, allowed corruption to flourish and mismanaged the economy. As result, his final years in office were tarnished by frequent corruption scandals, soaring public debt and shrinking exports. During 2020, as the pandemic swept across the world, sharply impacting Latin America and the Caribbean, Suriname’s gross domestic product plunged by 16%, the worst decline in South America after Venezuela. This exposed the extreme fragility of the former Dutch colony’s economy and the fiscal headwinds buffeting Paramaribo.

Since the start of the pandemic, the economic fallout was so severe that Suriname defaulted three times on its sovereign debt. To shore up weak finances and bolster government coffers, President Santokhi negotiated a $688 million loan deal with the International Monetary Fund, which was approved on the condition that Paramaribo implements a range of economic reforms, including austerity measures. Those changes included eliminating subsidies for electricity, natural gas and fuels magnifying domestic inflation and triggering a massive spike in the cost of living. After soaring into double digits during 2020, inflation has spiraled ever higher, hitting a peak of over 60% during 2021 and then declining to under 40% toward the end of 2022, surging to 58% for February 2023. Rising inflation is being fueled by the collapse in the value of the Suriname dollar, which by 27 March 2023 was worth $0.028 U.S. cents compared to nearly double that amount a year earlier. The catastrophic collapse of Suriname’s currency occurred after Santokhi floated the dollar during 2021 to meet the rigorous conditions imposed by the IMF.

The austerity measures and soaring inflation are responsible for the cost of living spiraling ever higher at a time when many people are experiencing extreme hardships because of the dire state of Suriname’s economy. Those events sparked the late-February 2023 demonstrations where protesters stormed Suriname’s parliament. While security forces eventually reasserted control and President Santokhi entered into national dialogue engaging a range of civil society organizations, including unions, business groups and political parties, further protests are appearing. Last week a handful of protesters gathered in Paramaribo, accusing President Santokhi of attempting to postpone the 2025 general election through his electoral reforms aimed at introducing a fairer voting system and demanding that he resign.

With social unrest and economic hardship plaguing Suriname, along with the local currency plunging to historic lows, it is easy to understand Paramaribo’s push to exploit the vast petroleum potential thought to exist in the tiny nation’s territorial waters. Suriname’s government is hungrily eyeing the massive economic boom underway in neighboring Guyana, with which it shares the Guyana-Suriname Basin, where GDP soared by a massive 58% last year on the back of that country’s colossal oil boom. After a slew of five commercial petroleum discoveries by 50% partners Apache and TotalEnergies in Block 58 offshore Suriname, Paramaribo became optimistic that the country will experience an oil boom on the scale of that underway in Guyana.

Apache and Total Energies, which is the operator, made five commercial discoveries in Block 58 with successful flow testing conducted at the Sapakara South 1 and 2 wells. Those events saw industry analysts assert that Block 58 contains the same petroleum fairway as the nearby Stabroek Block in offshore Guyana and U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley estimated that it contains 6.5 billion barrels of oil resources. In September 2022, Apache announced the first oil discovery in Block 53 offshore Suriname with the Baja-1 wildcat well, while Malaysia’s national oil company Petronas 2020 discovered oil in Block 52. Those additional discoveries buoyed Paramaribo’s hopes that Suriname’s territorial waters possessed similar oil potential to Guyana’s.

In recent months, the outlook for Suriname’s burgeoning oil boom has dimmed considerably with news that Apache and TotalEnergies had delayed the final investment decision, known as an FID, for Block 58, which was expected during 2022. A combination of poor drilling results, including a series of dry wells, conflicting seismic data, the stricter fiscal terms of Paramaribo’s production sharing agreements and Suriname’s chaotic economic outlook all contributed to this decision. When it is considered that it could take up to $10 billion to develop Block 58 and bring the asset to production, TotalEnergies' caution is understandable. The FID is complicated by Suriname’s national oil company Staatsolie holding the option to acquire a 20% stake in Block 58, lacking sufficient capital, particularly with Paramaribo in the midst of an economic crisis, to exercise that right.

There is every indication that the FID for Block 58 will not be made until later this year nor not even until 2024, delaying the successful exploitation of Suriname’s offshore oil resources. For these reasons, it is now anticipated that Paramaribo will not see first oil until at least 2027, compared to 2025 as initially planned, and potentially even later, thus deferring the urgently required economic benefit anticipated by President Santokhi. Rising economic and political instability in the impoverished South American nation is also putting the success of the long-anticipated Demerara Bid Round at risk where six deepwater blocks are on offer with bids closing on 31 May 2023. Paramaribo was hoping the oil auction would generate considerable interest in offshore Suriname and attract further offshore oil investment. The risk of Suriname’s economic and civil upheaval deterring industry capital inflows is amplified by TotalEnergies' decision to delay the Block 58 FID, with industry participants waiting to see what the energy supermajor’s final decision will be.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Nickel Buyers On Edge As Another LME Scandal Unfolds

By Stuart Burns - Mar 31, 2023

• A fraudulent nickel shipment was discovered from Access World's Rotterdam warehouse.
• 
  
• Trafigura, Mercuria Energy Group and Stratton Metals are some companies that have fallen victim to nickel contract fraud.
• 
  
• Industry leaders are debating the effectiveness of blockchain technology in preventing future scams in global transactions.

Via AG Metal Miner

The London Metal Exchange and its notorious nickel contract are back in the limelight again. This time, the news has to do with reports of potential fraud with a recent LME nickel shipment. The scrutiny comes following the discovery of nine warrants, some 54 tons of Nickel briquettes, that turned out to contain rocks.

The discovery came following a delivery out of Access World’s Rotterdam warehouse. At the time the nickel arrived at the warehouse, Glencore had full ownership. However, a BVI firm called Global Capital Markets purchased it almost immediately. Access World announced last week that “there is no indication that LME rules were not followed when the material was warranted.” However, it is clear from the outcome that something went very wrong.

LME Nickel Not Alone in Contract Fraud

According to Reuters, workers should weigh deliveries on arrival. If this was done, a discrepancy should have been apparent. However, Access World is not making any further announcements while investigations are ongoing. Another possible explanation is that someone replaced the delivered nickel with rocks at some point after delivery. Of course, this would be even more disturbing considering it could happen in a tightly regulated and secure facility.

The owner of the consignments are Trafigura in the U.S. and Stratton Metals in the U.K. Unfortunately, these traders are not alone in suffering fraud on nickel contracts. A recent Financial Times post details how Mercuria Energy Group, a Geneva-based multinational trading company, bought 10,000 tons of blister copper from Turkish supplier Bietsan Bakir last summer for $36 million. However, when the cargo arrived in China, workers found the containers to be full of painted rocks.

Trafigura is also alleging systemic fraud in its dealing with Indian businessman Prateek Gupta and his companies. The allegations came following the discovery of falsified paperwork detailing containers of nickel from Mr. Gupta’s firm. At the moment, that case remains ongoing.

Some Think Blockchain Could Prevent Future Scams

Supporters suggest blockchain technology could help negate the risk of fraud by creating an unalterable record of transactions with end-to-end encryption. Still, it is hardly an airtight solution. For example, blockchain could significantly reduce the ability of fraudsters to substitute documentation while goods are in transit. This is potentially what happened in the Trafigura-Gupta case. However, the technology doesn’t do anything to prevent theft or the replacement of the real cargo with a substitute. This is particularly true if the fraudsters know how to assign the proper tracking to the fraudulent replacement.

The idea is nothing new. Mining firms are looking at using blockchain to track cargo from the mine to the buyer. This would mean that companies could securely trace cargo details, right down to chemical analysis and assay results, from mine shaft to refiner and potentially to end user. Banks and shipping companies have been looking at using blockchain as well. In their case, they hope to reduce or even remove the bureaucratic hurdles and risk that comes along with Bills of Lading and Letters of Credit. Unfortunately, progress remains painfully slow.

Clearly, blockchain technology has the potential to reduce risks and increase the efficiency of global transactions. However, it is very difficult to update processes fine-tuned over hundreds of years. Like the LME, global logistics and banking will benefit from blockchain in time. But despite the rare case of fraud, the current systems work well enough to support millions of transactions a year.

By Stuart Burns

Drax In Talks With UK Government For £2 Billion CCS Project

By Michael Kern - Mar 30, 2023

British power giant Drax surged by 5% in early trading on Thursday after it disclosed that it was in talks with the government about a proposed carbon capture project. 

Britain intends to bolster its energy security and independence through investment to move towards more affordable and cleaner energy sources. 

One such initiative includes carbon capture and storage projects. 

Drax aims to capitalize on this push and develop a £2 billion CCS project alongside its 2.6 GW biomass power plant in northern England. 

Drax paused the project temporarily, asking for clarity from the government over the funding model.

On Thursday, Drax disclosed that it had been invited to start bilateral discussions with the government to continue the project. 

Drax CEO, Will Gardiner, said in a statement that the company stood ready to progress its £2 billion investment plan with the government's proper engagement and a fast decision-making process.

Initially, Drax's share prices fell by over 12% when the government announced that it had not chosen the Drax project for its Track-1 scheme, which is part of its £20 billion per year funding initiative announced this month for carbon capture technology. 

Shares bounced back and jumped 5% after the company revealed it was in talks with the government.

Drax is concerned that its existing subsidy scheme for the biomass units, which provide approximately 6% of Britain's electricity, would expire in 2027, making the units unviable, according to its spokesperson. 

Analysts at Citi stated in a research report that "The concern now for Drax is how do they fill the cashflow cliff that exists post-2027."

Biomass power generation has received significant disapproval from environmental activists who argue that it is not carbon-neutral or sustainable. 

Further, they claim that the production of pellets can contribute to deforestation. 

Drax maintains that it only uses wood residuals or byproducts from trees primarily used for lumber and that sustainably managed demand for wood from forests can help increase forest growth.

Drax's proposed CCS project is considered significant progress in Britain's efforts to improve energy security and reduce carbon emissions. 

According to Drax, the scheme would translate into removing as much as 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from the environment.

The project's development is dependent on government clarity and fast decision-making. 

Drax and the government look forward to their discussions and hope that the outcome of the talks leads to the successful development of one of the most significant CCS projects for energy security and emission reduction in Britain.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com